A Christmas Wish

Introduction

Thanks to everyone who participated in our drama. They did a fantastic job. I greatly appreciate Daniel's hard work with our drama team. He wrote this drama for his dad’s church; this is the first time we have produced it here. I also appreciate Will for all his hard work with our choir. They also did an excellent job.

In fact, let’s have the entire drama team stand up here one more time so we can give them a great big round of applause!

‌As you know, this play was titled “A Christmas Wish.” The entire drama is a play on the famous film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” However, in our drama, instead of seeing what life would be without George Bailey, we saw what life would be without Christ. Without Christ, there would be no prayers answered. More importantly, without Christ, there would be no hope of eternal life.

“Wish” is a desire, hope, and longing for something or something to happen. As we witnessed in today's drama, Ashley wished there was no Christ in Christmas. She had grown tired of hearing about Christ simply because she had not yet made room in her own heart for Him. However, as we know, we must always be careful about what we wish for. Our drama portrayed her wish coming true, and she soon found out that not everything we hoped for was what we expected. A lot changed after her wish came true. Her wish became her nightmare. But, in the end, she realized that Christ was indeed the real reason for the season.

‌If I had a wish this morning, it would be different than Ashley’s. I wish everyone would realize the same thing she did in the end. I wish that each person knows and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, just as Big Al and Harry did. It is a wish that it can come true. My wish is the same wish of God. He wants everyone to come to repentance and that no one should perish.

2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The most famous verse in the Bible sums up God’s wish for each person born into this world.

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

How can this wish be fulfilled in your life this morning?

There are some things that you must accept and believe this morning.

Admit that You are a Sinner!

The unfortunate reality of life is that every person born into this world is already a sinner.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

This is a fantastic verse. It was penned over 2000 years ago. Yet, it remains true today. Here is what I find remarkable about this verse! As far as I know, no one here has reached the ripe old age of 2000. The average life span for people today is generally between 75 and 80 years. However, long before I was born or even a thought, God already stated that I would sin and come short of His glory. How is that? How did God know that I was going to sin before I was even born and capable of sinning? The short answer is He is God. The long answer is this. All of us are children of Adam. As you may or may not know, Adam was the first man God created. Initially, God created Adam perfectly. He, Adam, was without sin. After creating Adam, God determined that Adam needed a mate, so God created Eve, the first woman. Both were perfect in every way. There was no sin in them. God, however, has a great enemy called Satan. Satan hates God and all that He does. So, when God created Adam and Eve, Satan set out on a mission to ruin what God created. God gave Adam and Eve a straightforward command. They were not to eat the fruit of a tree named “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” It was a tree planted in the middle of the garden. Now understand this. Adam and Eve had plenty to eat. They did not need the fruit of that tree to sustain them. God forbid them eat of that tree. In the end, Satan came along and tempted them to eat of the one tree God forbade them to eat. God told them if they ate of that tree, they would “surely die.” Both Adam and Eve gave into Satan’s temptation and ate the forbidden fruit. In that single act, sin came into the world. Sin is any disobedience to God’s instructions. Note the result.

Romans 5:12 KJV 1900

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Two things happened because of their disobedience. Men were cursed with a sinful nature and instantly died spiritually. Adam and Eve did not die physically that day, for Adam lived to be 930 years old. However, on that day, God cast both Adam and Eve out of the Garden, signifying spiritual death. Death is simply separation. Whenever a loved one dies, we are separated from them physically. Sin separates us spiritually from God. Sin always results in spiritual death. Thus, when Adam disobeyed, he condemned us to sin and spiritual death. Therefore, without hesitation, the Bible says we have all sinned and come short of God’s glory.

‌Here is one small illustration that shows the reality of our sins. We all love babies. They are lovely, beautiful little human beings. We love to cuddle them and play with them. However, we all know they don’t stay little for long. Soon, each baby becomes a toddler. The next thing you know is that we are in the throes of teaching them. What do we teach them? Do we teach them to lie, cheat, or steal? Do we tell little Johnny, “Now Johnny, I will teach you something new today. I will teach you how to lie through your little teeth.” How utterly ridiculous that seems. Why is that? It is because we know that we spend our time teaching them not to lie, cheat, or steal. Born within each person is this innate nature which already knows how to lie, cheat, and steal. Every person knows much more than that. Why? They are born already sinners.

‌If you are honest with yourself this morning, you know it is true. You know that you are a sinner. You know you are gripped by a darkness that constantly wants to bring out your worst. There is no doubt about this. People across this world struggle with the darkness within them. Most never escape that darkness, much less understand why it is there. That is the great thing about Scripture. God explains it all to us. The real question is this.

‌How do we escape such darkness and sin? The answer is Jesus Christ.

‌Just as sin came into this world by one man, so salvation came into this world by one man.

‌Escaping the darkness of sin begins with accepting your sinful condition and then believing that Christ is the answer to overcoming that darkness.

Believe Christ Died and Rose Again for You!

Romans 5:8 KJV 1900

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Remember John 3:16

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Both verses share the fantastic news of hope. Unlike our drama, there is no reality without Christ. Christ did come. He came as a babe in a manger. He was God come in the flesh. Everything we would want to know about God can be found in Christ. He came as the only Light that can dispel the darkness of sin. Just as there is no darkness in this world that overcomes the smallest of light, there is no sinful darkness within a person that Christ cannot overcome. It is the whole reason that He came. He came to show, demonstrate, and prove His love for all of us despite our sins and disobedience. That is the whole message this morning. No matter how dark your life might seem this morning, Christ overcomes it. Even now, while you remain a sinner, Christ died for you and rose again proving His power over sin and death. In fact, Scripture promises that if you put your faith in Him, He, in return, will give you the greatest Christmas gift you will ever receive.

Romans 6:23 KJV 1900

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This verse explains two sides to a spiritual coin. Right now, any person sitting here this morning having not received Christ as their personal Savior is under the penalty of sin. Note that the “wages of sin is death.” A wage is something earned. Just like you work 40 hours a week and receive salaries for doing so, you already have made spiritual death for your sin. You are born already under its curse. If you are born separated from God (spiritual death) and die physically in that same condition, you will live eternally with God. Instead, you will live forever separated from Him in an eternal hell. Yet, remember, Christ does not want you to spend eternity that way. It is the whole reason that He came. He came, lived sinless, and then allowed Himself to die at the hands of sinful men. In doing so, He gave His life and shed His blood as payment for your sins.

Matthew 26:28 KJV 1900

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The word “remission” means released from the obligation of a debt. In other words, Christ shed His blood as payment for your sin. Thus, as Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 KJV 1900

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

tells us. Christ, through the shedding (pouring out) of His blood not only paid our sin debt, but, in return, was given a gift. That gift is “eternal life.” It was God’s gift to Christ. Now, Christ stands offering you that same gift. His wish this morning is that you will receive this wonderful gift.

How, then, does one receive such a gift?

The answer is so simple that many miss it.

Accept His Gift with Your Whole Heart

Spiritual gifts require spiritual actions. This stands in contrast to physical gifts. Physically, if someone offers me a gift, I must reach out and take the gift with my hands. If I do not, then the gift is not mine. I must physically take possession of the gift for it to become mine. Spiritually, it is the same but different. Christ is offering you the gift of eternal life. A gift from Him that will drive out the darkness of sin and ensure you spend eternity with Him. However, it is not a gift that we receive in a physical sense, even though there are some bodily actions. This is a gift that must first be received by the heart.

Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Note that you must believe with your heart. What are you to accept as accurate? Believe that God has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Many acknowledge the fact that Christ died. That is easy. We readily accept the fact that people die for it happens constantly. Instead, you must believe that Christ rose again from the dead. Believing in His resurrection is an acknowledgment that He is God. Only God can raise someone from the dead. In this case, you are choosing to believe that Christ is God and that He raised Himself from the dead. Thus, you accept that He is alive and genuine, and you will pursue Him with all your heart. If you do that within your heart, you will readily confess that with your mouth. Thus, spiritually and physically, you reach out and accept the wonderful gift of eternal life that Christ now possesses. Any person who admits their sinful condition believes Christ died and rose again and agrees with this with their whole heart receives eternal life.

1 John 5:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This is Christ’s wish for you. He desires that you accept His wonderful gift of eternal life. He did everything necessary for you to have this gift. All you must do is reach out and take it. Will you? If you will, the promise from God is this. He will change your life. He will drive out the darkness. He will set you free from the ugly bondage of sin. He will give you eternal life, saving you from the awful reality of hell. Additionally, He will place His Spirit within you and make you a permanent part of His family. Talk about benefits. All these spiritual benefits come with simply believing in Christ with your whole heart.

Conclusion

Here is our Christmas wish! We hope that this becomes the best Christmas ever for you! It can be if you will accept Christ.